Brockton boy survives attack by 2 rottweilers

BROCKTON -- Two rottweilers ambushed 10-year-old Saiquan Grady as he strolled to his bus stop yesterday, sending him sprawling to the ground as they tore flesh from his little legs.

Both dogs weighed more than 100 pounds; Grady weighed just 90. But he managed to survive the canine assault yesterday morning with the help of his grandmother and a bus driver, who fended off the snarling dogs until help arrived.

``It was scary," Grady said later, walking with a limp after Brockton Hospital physicians used 14 staples to close bite wounds on both legs.

Brockton police said the male rottweilers, named Hydro and Shep , belong to Bennie Johnson of Brockton . Police said they were unsure how the dogs escaped from Johnson's fenced property. Both dogs were licensed and up to date on rabies shots, police said.

Johnson was not charged in the incident. While he was at the city's dog pound seeking his pets yesterday, Johnson was arrested on a warrant for owing court fees from a previous case. He posted bail later in the day and could not be reached for comment.

Brockton police were still trying to determine yesterday whether the dogs should be euthanized. One of the dogs may have been involved in a previous attack on a human, they said.

Grady's first line of defense yesterday morning was his grandmother, Nancy Alexander. The two of them, and Grady's younger brother, were walking down Warren Avenue to a school bus stop at 7:50 a.m. when the dogs pounced.

``I just turned around, and they were just both right there, beside me," Alexander said . ``They looked at me and they looked at him -- and then it was on."

Alexander said she threw a brick at one of the dogs, stopping the attack momentarily. But the dogs quickly went after Grady again.

Just then, Ronald E. Poore , 53, was driving by in a Brockton Area Transit Authority bus when he heard the boy's screams.

``Just seeing that kid on the ground made me jump into action. It was instinct," Poore said . ``I just felt bad for him. There was no one else to stop it, I figured I've got to stop it."

Poore said he forcefully slapped one dog, then got between the boy and both dogs. He grabbed one by the scruff of the neck and held tightly.

That's when Thomas DeChellis arrived.

DeChellis, the Brockton Animal Control supervisor, had been searching for the rottweilers, which had already been the subject of calls to police. DeChellis used his catchpole to lasso one of the dogs, which bit Grady two more times before he was subdued.

DeChellis hauled the dogs off to the animal control shelter . It was just in the nick of time, Poore said.

``I'm glad he was there. They could have actually turned on me," he said.

Alexander said the dogs attacked only Grady. ``They didn't even try to bite the animal control officer," she said. ``That was weird."

After the attack, Poore went back to work, just as he has for two decades.

``I got back on the bus and went about my work. That was it," he said. ``Picking up, dropping off. It kind of broke the monotony of the day, I think."

John R. Ellement can be reached at ellement@globe.com., and Raja Mishra at rmishra@globe.com.